


Continuing the Chaos

by carolnegate



Category: Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)
Genre: Audience Participation, Center for Chaos Containment (Henry Stickmin), Choose Your Own Adventure, F/M, Gen, Heavy Usage of Original Characters, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Second Person, POV Third Person Limited, Slow Burn, Timeline Shenanigans, all endings, darker than canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:41:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27129400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolnegate/pseuds/carolnegate
Summary: You completed your mission, and you got exactly what you deserve, no more and no less.  You seized unimaginable wealth/found your life's calling/made a new friend/lost a new friend/ascended your criminal network to the stars/gave those criminals a taste of their own medicine.However, just because you finished one wild ride doesn't mean that the universe is done having its fun with you.Two agents are after you, and they seem prepared for everything you think to throw at them.  What do they want with you?  Why can't they just let you live with the path you chose in life?  There's nowhere you can go to be safe from them - not your home/your stash/your next target/the government/the orbital station/a tropical coast/that one weird office building.Regardless of where these people came from and where all of this is going, one thing still holds true - you worked hard to get to where you are today.  You're not going down without a fight.Timelines Contained: 0/16Ranks Achieved: N/AThe Story Resumes On: Chapter 2
Relationships: Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	1. Rules and Guidelines

Time travel is an incredibly dangerous and highly risky endeavor for any agent. Please refer to this guidance packet if there is any point of confusion regarding the rules of operation while in another timeline. Note that this packet may be corrected in the future based on any ease-of-use adjustments made to this System.

Please note the function of the following buttons or embedded links:

  * **> Retry**: This will send you back to the previous timeline split. The “back” button in your browser may also be used for this purpose.
  * **> Return to HUB**: This option will be available in the longest-reaching branch of the current timeline. Because this option progresses the state of the mission, it should only be selected once all failure states for the timeline have been followed to their natural conclusions.
  * **[Previous Chapter]** : This option is strictly forbidden.
  * **[Next Chapter]** : This option is strictly forbidden unless otherwise noted. Typically, a “Wait” action will be noted as being performed using the “Next Chapter” button rather than an embedded link. Please note that using the “Next Chapter” button when not directed may cause incalculable damage to the timestream and may render your status as compromised.
  * **{POLL}** : At decision points, the System may gather data from the established bot net in order to calculate the optimal path forward. Participation in data-gathering efforts is highly encouraged. Polls will be deactivated once the decision point has been resolved.



All other embedded links represent progressions or splits in the timeline and may be selected freely.

Please also note the following rules and guidelines surrounding the operation of data-gathering efforts:

  * Where applicable, any votes not acted upon will carry over into the next round of voting. If certain sectors of the bot net believe that a particular timeline is worth investigating, then votes for this timeline will add up over successive rounds until the timeline is eventually selected.
  * If the vote is tied or no votes are cast, then the System will determine the optimal course of action.
  * Those participating in data-gathering efforts should note that the order of operations may be of critical importance. Characters may develop differently depending on which timelines are selected when. Additionally, certain options may be locked out until the appropriate events have been triggered.
  * For the purpose of composing sustainable narrative enjoyment, participators are encouraged to save a few of the more “interesting” timelines until last. Timelines that appear to have little narrative purpose or value may be surprisingly fruitful. They may also provide the necessary set-up to ensure optimal operations within “critical” timelines.



Regarding mission status, please note that the mission will be completed only a few stages at a time. If an embedded link is marked as “Coming Soon”, then the action will be made available during a future System update. The mission summary will be revised with each update to note the chapter number from which you should resume your operations.

Thank you for taking the time to be well-informed of the rules of extra-temporal engagement. Please select the “START” link below to begin.

[> START](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27129400/chapters/66249233)


	2. The Hub - Pre-Script

Roxanne wakes up ten minutes before her alarm and decides to check her email before getting out of bed. Her phone blasts blue-white light into the dark void of her room, and she gives her sleepy eyes time to adjust before tapping her email app. There are a bunch of the usual emails - safety memos, a reminder to sign up for the annual chilli cook-off, and a few confused junior agents who don’t realize that they need a higher level of security clearance to hear any details about her last mission. 

Right up top, though, sent only ten minutes ago, is an email from Michelle Lordly.

Roxanne opens it without really thinking. Chief Director Lordly sends out organization-wide emails all the time, usually to congratulate everyone on a successful quarter of high-quality work. However, the tone of this particular message surprises her.

> Roxanne,
> 
> It has come to my attention that your mission-success rate is significantly higher what is typical from other central field agents of your station. You show an aptitude for directing other agents and coordinating their efforts to ensure a successful operation. In addition, some of your more recent projects have given you a unique skillset that will be an invaluable asset to the organization.
> 
> Please meet me in my office at 9 AM today so that we may discuss your future at the Center for Chaos Containment.
> 
> Many thanks,
> 
> Michelle Lordly
> 
> Chief Director of the Center for Chaos Containment

Roxanne’s barely-been-awake-for-five-minutes brain doesn’t fully register the implications yet. She glances at the subject line - “Important Discussion” - and notices that she is the only recipient of this particular message.

She blinks, and her brain slowly pieces together the fact that her boss’s boss just asked her for a personal meeting. She definitely isn’t in trouble - rather, they are probably going to discuss promotion opportunities.

Roxanne practically leaps out of bed and slams her hand down on the light switch. Fluorescent lights reveal the state of her living arrangements - a single, clean room with a standardized bed, dresser, desk, and storage shelf. She doesn’t have it any better or worse than the other on-site agents, but she does take pride in the fact that she’s at least kept her room organized. She raids her dresser for clothes, checks her watch to get a feeling for the time, and sets out for the communal bathrooms.

She’s gotten an earlier start than usual, and having beaten the rush of other agents to the showers, the water is pleasantly warm. She takes her sweet time brushing her teeth and doing her hair and make-up at one of the better sinks. This could possibly be her most important day in her career at the CCC, so she isn’t going to let one blond hair be out of place. She dresses herself in her bright blue uniform with practiced motions, and her handgun and holster find their way to her hip without much thought on her part.

After a quick stop by the cafeteria to pick up a light breakfast, she heads to the main elevator. She finds herself contending for space with a dozen or so other on-site workers who are also looking to start their 9 AM workday. Resigning herself to another long and cramped elevator trip, she packs herself in with the rest and begins the ascent up to the CCC headquarters proper.

The Center for Chaos Containment is an elaborate bureaucracy with dozens of field offices and hundreds of remote outposts, mobile stations, and drones. The central office is just as complex and segmented. Formally, it is called the “Central Headquarters Underpinning Business”, but most workers in the agency simply refer to it as “the Hub”. Being one of the elite central operatives, Roxanne’s office has the privilege of being all the way up on the fifteenth floor. Only the Communications Floor separates her office from the upper-admin offices, which includes the Central Director’s.

During her trip up, she is only passingly aware of the different stops along the way. First, a few workers get off at the dank storage areas and basement workshops. Then, a rush of off-site workers pack into the elevator when it reaches the first floor. Everyone is bizarrely eager to leave the stylish, sunlit lobby behind in favor of the stack of offices above. The crowd slowly trickles out as the office floors go by, and Roxanne soon finds herself being the only remaining passenger. She takes a moment to check her hair and make-up in the chrome elevator wall and straightens her CCC hat before the door opens to the seventeenth floor.

The hallway ahead is unnervingly quiet. She clamps down on her discomfort and steps out onto the wine-colored carpet. As she passes by the rows of wooden doors with brass nameplates, she checks her watch - early, but not too early.

About halfway down the hall, she’s surprised to see the door at the end of the hallway open. A man well into adulthood steps through, shaking the hand of someone on the other side. When he closes the door behind him, he’s openly beaming.

She reflects a small portion of his smile back at him and gives a little wave. Anyone who’s worked for the CCC as long as she has both recognizes and respects Wilson Stone.

Wilson waves back. “Roxanne! Interesting, that you’d be up here.”

“I could say the same,” she replies. The two of them come to a face-to-face stop in the hall, and she decides that there’s enough time for a short chat with a coworker before her meeting. “You don’t look like you’re in trouble.”

He has to laugh a little at that. “Hardly. You’ll never guess why Lordly called me in this morning.”

“Is it because Baldwin retired and you were offered his position?”

His grin slips. Now it’s her turn to laugh.

“Wilson, Baldwin’s my boss. I think I would hear about his blow-up yesterday.”

That gets an eyebrow-raise out of him. “He had a blow-up? That doesn’t seem like him.”

“Baldwin and the other upper admins never saw eye-to-eye on certain issues,” she explains. “Rumors are that he finally had enough, so they worked out a retirement agreement, and he was out of here as fast as they’d let him. Congratulations, by the way.”

He chuckles. “It means a lot, hearing that from one of my future subordinates.” His smile comes back in full force, though there’s a softer edge to it. “I’m excited for this new opportunity. Sure, the branch directorship was great, but it never gave me much time with my family.”

He isn’t saying anything that the circulating rumors haven’t already told her. Wilson had been gunning for a central office position for years, and it was fairly clear why. Still, she nods along like this is all new information. “I’m sure you’ll do a good job. Baldwin didn’t exactly leave behind any high expectations. Many of us central agents are looking forward to a new manager.”

“Then, I guess I’ll have to look forward to being your new boss.” He glances about. “Anyways, I won’t keep you. You seem to have some important business to get to. I have to get back to my branch to start wrapping things up, anyways. I should be back in a few weeks.”

Roxanne gives a polite goodbye wave. “See you then!” 

He continues in the direction of the elevator, and she continues in the direction of Lordly’s office. Though she’s careful not to let anything show on her face, her heart soars with triumph. Wilson's old position, a directorship out in the American southwest, is as good as hers. She originally thought she’d be the one to take Baldwin’s role, but getting a chance at a branch directorship? Is she really going to get that lucky?

She comes to another stop at the office is at the end of the hall. Though the logical part of her brain knows that this door is the same size, shape, and color as every other door in this hallway, some instinctive part of her can’t help but be intimidated by this dark, looming rectangle. She reads the nameplate to verify that this is indeed the office of Michelle Lordly, and then she knocks.

A sharp female voice calls out from inside. “Roxanne? Come in.”

Roxanne fights down her remaining anxiety and reaffixes her mask of disciplined professionalism. With a twist the knob, the door drifts open on silent hinges, and she enters.

There are many contradicting rumors about the Chief Director’s office, so she isn’t sure what to expect. However, she soon realizes that the reason why there is so much outlandish gossip is because the truth doesn’t have anything worth gossiping about. There are no flashy decorations, no science-fiction devices, no security monitors lining the walls. The room isn’t completely barren, either. There’s a classy-looking fish tank, a healthy collection of bookshelves, some award plaques punctuating the walls - in other words, nothing that doesn’t already belong in a tasteful upper-admin office.

The space is neither warm nor cold, neither dim nor bright. Instead, a comfortable rosy glow suffuses the room through overhead lights and decorative, but not gaudy, table lamps. It’s large for an office, but that’s to be expected of someone at such a high station. It almost feels like two separate rooms - a few armchairs flanking a meeting space near the entrance, and Lordly’s personal work station in the back, a regal-looking desk partially sequestered by a bookshelf.

Lordly herself sits in one of the armchairs, her hands folded over a small pen case in her lap. She looks older than Roxanne remembers, a few gray streaks starting to leak into her brunette bun. The Chief Director has a slight edge to her that was never done justice during any of the organization-wide town halls or pre-recorded video messages. Her eyes are those of a predator judging whether the prey that just stumbled into her den is worth the effort to hunt.

Roxanne is self-conscious of her shoes brushing over the plush carpet as she crosses the room. She comes to the armchair opposite Lordly, and rather than break the heavy silence, she stands beside the chair and glances at the Chief Director expectantly.

Lordly’s shoulders shift downwards with a silent sigh. “You may sit.”

Roxanne obediently settles into her designated seat. It’s comfy, so much so that she would normally afraid of falling asleep in this cushioning embrace, but she doesn’t think she’ll have to worry about that today. Her heart is beating so hard she can feel it in her throat.

Lordly doesn’t speak for three, four seconds. Roxanne takes the social cue and clears her throat. “So, I heard a few people talking.” Keeping her tone level is not a struggle, though it does take conscious effort. “Is Baldwin officially retired now?”

Lordly gives a slow, thoughtful nod, her eyes never leaving Roxanne’s face. “He retired yesterday, officially. And if your conversation with Director Stone went how I suspect it did, then you know who Baldwin’s replacement is going to be.”

“I see.” Roxanne wonders if this conversation feels as awkward to Lordly as it does to her. “Do you know who is going to fill Stone’s old position, then?”

There’s a crinkle in Lordly’s eyes, a suggestion of a smile. “It depends. There is a rather talented central field agent that I have in mind for a promotion. She has already assumed temporary control over different branch offices during times of crisis, and she is a natural fit for a leadership role. However, promoting her now would put the organization in a rather difficult position.”

Roxanne blinks a few times, careful to keep her expression neutral. This is all but confirmation of her wildest dreams. Of course there is going to be a catch, but it can’t be anything too serious. Otherwise, the email calling her here wouldn’t have had such a positive tone. “Is this agent needed somewhere else?” she guesses.

“Somewhere, and somewhen.”

The tension in Roxanne’s shoulders softens. “I see.” She welcomes this sudden swerve into more familiar territory. Lordly wants to promote her, that much is clear, but there must be a future operation that requires Roxanne’s particular skill set. She should be flattered to have such a unique and critical role in the agency. “Is this a continuation of my previous mission?”

“That would not do it justice.” Lordly stands up out of her chair - her posture is ramrod-straight, commanding. “I think you will find that, if anything, your previous mission was merely preparation for the task which I am now asking you to complete.”

Lordly approaches Roxanne, handing her the pen case. The agent stands in turn and takes the gift obediently. After a few moments of Lordly watching her in silence, Roxanne carefully works the top of the case off. Instead of a pen, she finds a pair of flash drives nestled inside.

“Your mission files are on here,” Lordly explains, tapping the blue flash drive on top. “It will also download software onto your computer that will allow the unit to synchronize across multiple timelines. This will be necessary in order to properly coordinate with other instances of the CCC. The deactivation program is located on the other drive,” Lordly taps the red flash drive in the lower slot, “Which you will use when your mission is complete.”

Roxanne nods and closes the case back up. “I will review the files and compile a mission plan. Are there going to be any other agents working with me?”

Slowly, Lordly shakes her head. There’s a flash of impatience in her eyes that Roxanne immediately recognizes as dangerous. “You will not write up a mission plan.” Every syllable bares weight. “This mission is too important. A detailed plan of action has already been assembled, and you are to follow it to the letter. Is that clear?”

Roxanne forces herself to maintain eye contact. “Yes, ma’am.”

For a heated moment, Lordly doesn’t say anything more. After the passage of time inevitably drains some of the tension, however, Lordly’s expression shifts back to her usual stoic demeanor. “Regardless, no, I am not asking you to do this alone. I have assigned a younger central field agent to work with you.”

Roxanne sees where this was going. If she is going to leave the Hub behind, then she needs to train a replacement. “Does this agent have any time travel experience, or will I need to introduce them to the basics?”

“Oh, he should be more than familiar with the basics. In fact, he should be returning from his latest extra-temporal mission in…” Lordly casually checks the gold watch strapped to her wrist. “Four minutes. He will meet us in your office.”

Roxanne catches the hint and begins to make her way back towards the door. Lordly follows, her footfalls stiff but measured.

As they step into the harsher light of the upper-admin hallway, Roxanne’s brain runs through a list of her potential partners for this mission. Time travel is incredibly risky, both in a physical as well as in a security sense. Few agents can handle more than a basic temporal jaunt without accidentally compromising themselves or the agency. Try as she might, she can’t think of any uncompromised male agents with a significant amount of time travel experience under their belt. Except for Baldwin, possibly, but he was out of the running for obvious reasons.

Lordly must be a mind-reader, because she speaks on the matter before they even reach the elevator. “Have you had the opportunity to work with Rodney before?”

That name conjures the image of a boy who could easily blend in on a college campus. “I can’t say that I have.” In fact, she can’t recall if she’s even had a direct, one-on-one conversation with the man. There are whispers about him - there are whispers about all the central field agents, herself included - but she has no personal observations to confirm against any of the rumors.

As the elevator door slides shut, Roxanne decides to voice her concerns. “He seems very…new.”

Lordly glances sideways at her. Her blue eyes, once cold, now display an appropriate amount of concern. “Your worries are well-founded. However, there is no denying that he is extremely talented. I am confident that he will develop into an invaluable asset if directed properly.” There’s a hint of humor in her eyes as she returns her gaze to the elevator door. “He actually reminds me of another central field agent when she first started at the organization.”

Outwardly, Roxanne allows a tiny smile to twist the corner of her mouth. Inwardly, she beams. If the Central Director saw there was something worth developing in Rodney, then Roxanne would trust that judgment.

The chrome elevator doors slide open to reveal a much more mundane hallway. Gone is the glamor of the central admin offices, replaced by the quiet dignity of the elite central agents. There’s a light babble of voices from down the hall, likely another water-cooler chat about what happened to Baldwin, but that is not their destination. Lordly’s shoes clack against the tiles as they veer into the branching hallway leading to Roxanne’s office.

When they turn a final corner, Roxanne is surprised to see a young man standing in front of her open door, looking hesitant. A tuft of black hair sticks out from under his CCC hat. He could have been any of the other junior agents stopping by Roxanne’s office to ask for some guidance, but there’s something distinctly different about this one. For one, he hefts a large sack over his shoulder, its fabric bulging around the sharp, blocky corners of its contents. For two, he has the honor of being assigned to the upcoming temporal mission.

Rodney jumps in surprise at their arrival, his sack jangling with ominous metal-on-metal and metal-on-plastic clatter. “Oh! I, uh-” His voice cracks hard enough to break glass. It seems that being in close quarters with two senior operatives is rendering him unable to control his own vocal cords. He clears his throat and shakily points into Roxanne’s office. “We’re, uh, being briefed here. Right?”

Roxanne spares a curious glance at Lordly, gauging the Chief Director’s reaction. The older woman doesn’t display any outward signs of annoyance, though there is an added level of sharpness to her voice. “You were supposed to deposit your contraband at Weapons Storage before coming here,” she says a little too carefully. “But, I suppose it would not be prudent to waste any time. Yes, this is where I will brief you.”

Rodney makes a poor attempt at a nervous smile. Roxanne can’t help but feel sorry for him - she also knows how intense Lordly can be up-close, but being the new blood in this dynamic is not doing him any favors. Silently resolving to take the lead in whatever this briefing will entail, Roxanne steps into her office and beckons Rodney to follow her.

If Roxanne knew the Chief Director was going to be in her office, she would have dumped out yesterday’s cup of coffee and replaced the flowers on her windowsill with something fresher. She tends to keep her office as tidy as her bedroom, though, so she supposes the state of it is acceptable for Lordly’s visit. She steps behind her standard-issue desk to allow enough room for the others to enter the space comfortably.

Lordly closes the door behind them. An animalistic part of Roxanne’s mind tenses at the sudden lack of escape routes, but her logical part cools it. This meeting is obviously classified. Roxanne hesitantly takes a seat in her office chair. “If you don’t mind,” she asks, holding Lordly’s gaze, “I will start the download so it can run during our briefing.”

Lordly is the only person Roxanne has seen who can give a professional-looking shrug. “I suppose.”

Roxanne works the lid off of the flash drive case, takes out the blue drive, and inserts it into the front of her computer tower. With a press of the main power button, she watches to confirm that the device will boot up without issue. For a moment, nothing happens, but then she becomes faintly aware of a deep, resonant hum emitting from the tower. The monitor flashes through a series of different colors before settling on an eye-watering shade of blue.

“That is normal,” Lordly informs her.

Roxanne will have to take her word for it. She stands up from her chair. “Now that the mission files are downloading, is there anything in particular we need to prepare for?” She gives a sidelong glance at Rodney, who is trying his best to set down his mysterious sack without making any noise. “Any particular dangers we need to be made aware of?” 

Lordly noticeably squares her shoulders. The gesture demands silence and commands attention. “You two should be familiar with Henry Stickmin by now,” she begins.

Roxanne gives a nod, and Rodney, surprisingly, does likewise.

Lordly crosses her hands behind her back. “For one reason or another, Stickmin has the unfortunate habit of being at the crux of many timeline splits. At this point, we must assume that this is not mere happenstance. In order to prevent further splits from complicating the time stream, he must be contained.”

Roxanne raises an eyebrow at this new information. It actually makes a lot of sense in hindsight. “Has he triggered the Protocol of Overwhelming Force yet?”

Lordly’s flat line of a mouth, for a moment, twitches with a smile. “Oh, he has triggered the Protocol. Three times. Each time, he just so happened to escape, the presence of the CCC in those situations just so happened to further his goals. Interesting, isn’t it?”

Interesting is one way to put it. It takes a moment for Roxanne to process the implications, but the longer she thinks, the deeper the pit in her stomach grows. The entire point of Overwhelming Force is to hit so violently and on such a big scale that it leaves no chance for the source of the chaos to survive. Is Henry intentionally creating timeline splits in order to escape otherwise inescapable threats? And if triggering a timeline split is something he can choose to do on a whim, when does it stop? Splits are supposed to be rare, and the CCC usually has no problems paring down the extraneous branches before they can cascade out of control. If Henry can just spin off a new timeline whenever he wants to…

It would be exponential. Branches within branches, millions of parallel paths, all growing out of control until the universe no longer had the capacity to support them all. Reality would stretch thin, finally hit its limit, and crash out.

Roxanne speaks slowly, cautiously. “How many splits has he caused so far?”

Lordly thinks for a moment. “We believe he is the driving force behind no fewer than 363 distinct lines.”

Roxanne can’t stop herself from gasping in horror.

Lordly holds up a hand as if it will put a stop Roxanne’s spiraling thoughts. “Luckily, a vast majority them are self-degrading and will terminate on their own. Still, sixteen lines are self-sustaining and require our intervention.”

Sixteen. That is manageable. Difficult, but manageable. Roxanne takes a deep breath and recomposes herself.

She can’t help but notice that Rodney’s eyes burn with intrigue rather than existential horror. Clearly, he doesn’t understand what they are dealing with. “I’m guessing this guy has a weakness, right?” he speaks up. “Otherwise, what’s the point in going after him?”

Lordly nods. “He is indeed fallible. He is capable of failure, and that appears to be the only way we can stop him.”

The Chief Director places a hand on Roxanne’s desk, regarding the still-booting computer. Curiously, the screen shifts from retina-scorching blue to highlighter yellow. “We have developed a mission plan that is, unlike Stickmin, completely infallible. Every detail is accounted for. By carefully manipulating the circumstances surrounding Stickmin, and by purposefully removing the specific tools required for his success, we can guide him into a situation where failure is his only option.”

Roxanne needs to make sure that she understands this correctly. “So, Overwhelming Force is not needed. We simply need to corner him in a situation where it is impossible for a timeline split to save him.”

Rodney pipes up, “And then we take him out an move on to the next timeline?”

Lordly shakes her head. “You do not quite understand. He does not necessarily need to die - he only needs to fail.”

Rodney’s face scrunches up in confusion. “I don’t think I get it.”

“There are ways to bring people back to life,” Lordly explains. “And many of the self-terminating timelines became that way despite Stickmin’s survival. It is a rather difficult distinction, but part of your mission will be to establish a better understanding of where this line is drawn. It may provide guidance against similar individuals the agency may encounter in the future.”

Rodney nods excitedly. “You can count on us, ma’am.”

Roxanne supposes that, if she ignores the universe-threatening consequences of failure, she can also find it in her to be a little excited for this mission. “So, just to clarify: we are to follow the plan outlined in our mission files.” She gestures to her computer, the monitor of which is now flashing like a strobe light. “By following the plan to the letter, we will be able to precisely trap Stickmin and force him into a ‘failure’ state, thereby terminating the branch he is in. And our mission is to do this for all sixteen stable branches?”

Lordly nods. “Precisely. One of the sixteen branches is our timeline, obviously - however, according to our simulations, our branch will remain stable even once Stickmin is contained. There will simply be no agent of chaos to instigate unwarranted splits going forward.”

A deep, harmonious chime resonates from the computer’s speakers. The monitor flickers off momentarily, and then the operating system begins its typical boot-up animation.

Lordly regards this change with a hum. “I see your system has been synced. You have also been given an outline of your main goal for this operation - shall I consider you two sufficiently briefed?”

Roxanne, experimentally, glances at Rodney. His mouth is clamped shut. Roxanne returns her attention to the Chief Director. “We will review the mission files, and I will email you directly of any questions we may have. Should I copy Wilson?”

Lordly lightly shakes her head. “You do not need to bother. Assuming you encounter no _problems_ ,” her voice strains that word, “You should complete this mission before Wilson is officially transitioned to his new role.”

Roxanne cannot help but notice the dark undercurrent lurking in this conversation. In a mission this important, flawless execution is the expectation, the baseline. Anything less than that poses a risk to both the CCC and whichever agent has the misfortune of making the offending error.

Roxanne nods slowly. “Understood. Thank you for your time.”

Lordly turns to leave the office. As she opens the door, however, she looks over her shoulder to give Roxanne one final glance. “By the way.” There’s an unexpected note of mischief to her gaze. “The LeDorian should be waiting for you in the Delta basement.”

Roxanne suppresses a smile. “Thank you.”

She hopes that the sight of Lordly stepping out of her office will be her last experience with the Chief Director before the completion of this mission. The weight of Lordly’s presence can still be felt with every sharp clack of her shoes against the hallway tiles.

When Lordly’s footfalls finally fade into the distance, Rodney lets out a huge, audible sigh. “Wow. Don’t think I’ll ever get used to talking to the Chief.” He flashes a lopsided grin at Roxanne. “I’m guessing you two go way back?”

Roxanne gives a tiny snort. “Hardly.” Though she has more than a decade of experience on Rodney, she actually skews young for someone at her level. Baldwin was her only real relationship with anyone in the upper echelons of the administration. “You’re doing well, though. I think she likes you.”

With a nervous chuckle, he mumbles a “Thanks.” He apparently needed to hear that. 

“By the way…” Roxanne frowns a little, trying to get a clearer reading on her new partner. “How did you become familiar with Stickmin? He’s a relatively new target.”

“Oh!” Rodney kneels beside the bag of contraband he laid on the ground. “He was my last mission. They had me steal a bunch of stuff from him.”

He teases open the top of the sack. Curiosity sufficiently piqued, Roxanne steps around her desk and approaches the bag to get a better look.

It’s guns. Handguns, shotguns, auto-rifles, sniper rifles, and many more, including at least one grenade launcher. There are more weapons in this bag than she’s seen together in any one place outside of a gun store or a weapons depot. Half of the pistols are still in their holsters.

“These are all his?” she asks, genuinely incredulous.

Rodney nods excitedly. “I took all his weapons away so he can’t use them against us during our upcoming mission,” he explains. “Couldn’t let him see me take them, either.”

Roxanne, quietly impressed, makes a mental note that Rodney is one heck of a thief. Additionally, since he can confiscate so many high-security objects without being compromised, she is confident that he will be able to handle himself in other timelines without too much supervision. However, a quiet, doubtful nag still prods at the back of her brain. “Rodney?”

He looks up at her, cocking his head to one side. “Yeah?”

“They’re all unloaded, right?”

Rodney’s face goes blank. After a few moments, a shade of red starts to fill in his cheeks. “Uh…?”

Roxanne sighs. She really shouldn’t have gotten her hopes up too high. She kneels down beside the bag, picks up one of the handguns, and takes out the magazine. Fully loaded, unfortunately. 

“If you’re stealing a gun from someone and don’t plan on using it, then you need to empty it as soon as it’s safe to do so.” She places the magazine in the sack and, for the sake of thoroughness, goes through the motions of emptying a loaded round from the chamber. She is rewarded when an additional bullet pops out of the firearm. Expression flat, she hands the neutralized handgun to the young agent. “Not only is it a safety concern, but if your target manages to get their gun back, they’ll need to go through that much extra effort to use it.”

Rodney’s face dawns with quiet realization. “Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense.” She hopes for his sake that he won’t be forced to learn this lesson again under less forgiving circumstances.

Rodney looks back down at the sack, expression somber. “I should probably unload all of these before taking them downstairs, right?”

Roxanne stands up. “That would be the safe thing to do, assuming you want to carry them all in one big sack like that.” She steps around her desk and settles back into her office chair. “Take as long as you need, I’ll just be going over the files.”

Roxanne logs into her computer and checks her email once more before digging into the contents of the flash drive. There is a huge amount of information to parse through - floor plans for a dozen different buildings, personnel files for ten times that many people, expected schedules for the important targets, and that’s only the beginning. She marvels at the sheer amount of resources the CCC must have drawn upon in order to make this data available to her. Clearly, Lordly and the other administrators recognized Stickmin’s threat to the multiverse and reacted accordingly.

The central document to the mission plan is an enormous list of instructions that the auxiliary files refer to as the “Master Script”. It’s like no mission plan she’s ever seen before. In certain parts, her and Rodney’s movements are timed down to the second, and select conversations are scripted out word-by-word. Written plans are usually left fairly broad so that the agents executing them may adapt to changing or unexpected circumstances. Apparently, containing the likes of Stickmin requires an absurd level of precision. She doesn’t doubt that this kind of operation will be possible - thanks to the extra-temporal nature of the mission, she and Rodney can take all the time they need to practice. This will just be far more involved than her usual assignments. She finds herself glad that she will only need to manage one other agent during this operation.

Every once and a while, she peeks around her monitor to check on Rodney’s progress. Each time, she sees him ejecting bullets from their associated gun with fluid, efficient motions. He evidently knows his way around most of these firearms. She resolves to set aside some time before the mission to evaluate Rodney’s proficiency at ejecting bullets in a more conventional manner.

When he’s finally done, Rodney ties off the top of the sack and hefts it over his shoulder. The chorus of bullets rattling against bullets grabs Roxanne’s attention.

“So, hey,” he calls over. “I’m gonna take these down now. Is there, like, a plan? For when I get back?”

Roxanne considers this question. While the Master Script contains precise instructions for what needs to be done within each timeline, it doesn’t provide much guidance on what needs to be done outside of them. “Since the branches are incapable of interfering with each other, we should be able to do them in any order,” she reasons. “We will need to tackle them one at a time. It will take at least a few days for us to familiarize ourselves with the details for each timeline and prepare.”

She holds eye contact with him. He seems to have reverted back to how he was at the start of their interactions - hesitant, nervous, fidgeting with the cloth at the mouth of his sack. He looks too anxious to leave but equally anxious to stay. A few of the nastier rumors about him come to mind - how it’s unfair that he was brought into the central office without prior experience, how he’s probably a nepotism case, how he must’ve rubbed shoulders with the right admin to land his position. A newbie like him will never take this job seriously. He’s going to screw things up for the rest of us. He doesn’t belong here.

She remembers her own days as a rookie, a long-gone time when ugly whispers surrounded every young woman who climbed the ranks of career success a little too quickly for her coworkers’ tastes. The scars from her experiences still flare up from time to time. 

When Roxanne flashes him a smile, not only does she hope to chase away some of his obvious self-doubt, but she also hopes to send him a message. He doesn’t have to be afraid around her. As long as they can do this mission successfully, then she’s more than happy to work with him. “I’ll look over everything and select our first timeline before you get back, alright?”

He hesitantly smiles back at her. “Got it. Make sure it’s a fun one, ‘kay?” His bag of guns and bullets rings like a morbid set of sleigh bells as he leaves.

Roxanne, for the first time that day, allows a relaxing sigh to rush out of her body. All things considered, she thinks she handled that situation fairly well, both with Lordly and Rodney.

She returns her attention to the Master Script. A list of the sixteen different timelines stares back at her. Based on what she gleaned from her preliminary skim-through, she knows that not all branches are created equal. Some of them will require very little effort to contain, perhaps only a few hours spent delivering a message or dropping off a package. Other timelines will require weeks of careful infiltration and set-up. Some are lighthearted jaunts into bright potential futures, others are grim operations with gritty consequences for everyone involved.

She will need to get to all of them eventually. For now, though, she needs to make a choice.

Where to first? [{POLL}](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSczU3RgWf8KkKMhXXFENLYzjgymXIcAVsulzfT_BnwSeO3NTA/viewform?usp=sf_linkf)

> > Capital Gains (UNCONTAINED)  
>  > Cleaned ‘em Out (UNCONTAINED)  
>  > Free Man (UNCONTAINED)  
>  > Jewel Baron (UNCONTAINED)  
>  > Little Nest Egg (UNCONTAINED)  
>  > Master Bounty Hunter (UNCONTAINED)  
>  > Pardoned Pals (UNCONTAINED)  
>  > Revenged (UNCONTAINED)  
>  > Special BROvert Ops (UNCONTAINED)  
>  > Stickmin Space Resort (UNCONTAINED)  
>  > Toppat 4 Life (UNCONTAINED)  
>  > Toppat Civil Warfare (UNCONTAINED)  
>  > Toppat King (UNCONTAINED)  
>  > Toppat Recruits (UNCONTAINED)  
>  > Triple Threat (UNCONTAINED)  
>  > Valiant Hero (UNCONTAINED)


End file.
